Research Interest: My laboratory has been a leader in studying the Pim protein kinase over the last decade. We were the first to demonstrate that the levels of Pim protein kinase are regulated by hematopoietic growth factors, and prevent the apoptotic death of these cells. We explained this result in part by demonstrating that the proapoptic BH3 protein Bad was a Pim substrate and inhibited by this protein kinase. Most recently, using our knowledge of Pim protein kinase biology, we have developed small molecule inhibitors of this protein kinase that block the growth of prostate cancer and kill leukemic cells both in vitro and in vivo. These discoveries have laid the groundwork for the proposed research by allowing us to develop the unique reagents and understanding of Pim biology. Our ability to study Pim in more detail is based on 30 years of experience documented in 120 publications examining complex signal transduction systems in normal and transformed cell models.

Honors: Distinguished University Professor, Medical University of South Carolina

Positions: Director and William H. Folk, MD Chair in Experimental Oncology, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina